confessions of a word junkie

if they made an episode of intervention for reading...i would be on it.

every 2 weeks, like clockwork...i hit up my local library. now that it's nice out...i can actually walk there from my house.

and every 2 weeks...i get anywhere between 4 and 7 books.

and i usually finish them all.

i DEVOUR books. i'm a fast reader...and i get lost in good stories. i always have. i think i spent a solid 1/4 of my time in elementary school in the library, because i'd go get books when i finished my work. and we were only allowed one book at a time. which meant i needed a new supply every few days.

LIKE A JUNKIE.

anyhoo, this friday, i feel like i need to open your eyes to my newest drug of choice.

it's about a teenage girl, and the boy she loves...who also happens to be a werewolf.

EXCEPT KRISTEN STEWART HAS RUINED NOT A SYLLABLE OF THIS TALE.

because, unlike twilight and all its sequels...this book? actually good. yeah...i read twilight. i read all the books. in about a week.

but let's not mince words...the actual writing? TERRIBLE. and stephanie meyer is kind of a douche.

so back away from your robert pattinson cardboard cutout and hear me out.

THIS. IS. BETTER.

world, meet shiver. we got acquainted on wednesday.

and by acquainted...i mean i read the whole thing in a day. and started book 2 yesterday.

THEY ARE AMAZING. read them now. if you love words...you will love these books. the sentences, the feelings, the story...heck, even the cover and the text inside....GORGEOUS.

the only downside? i can guarantee i'll be done with book 2 by sunday, at the latest.

AND THE THIRD BOOK COMES OUT IN JULY.

why universe?? why?!?

anyone else read these? love them? want to force stupid ms. meyer to read them and show her why teens and book lovers everywhere should not be forced to read drivel??

it's like a bling of the month club

i'll admit...i have an addiction.

to jewelry.

from the good stuff that comes with hefty pricetags and carat weights and blue boxes, to the stuff that costs me less than a grande latte at starbucks...i love it all.

so when i heard about this new site called jewelmint, i had to check it out. it's run by kate bosworth (you know, the chick with the different colored eyes from that surfing movie), and some friend of hers names cher. not THAT cher...and not "clueless" cher.

you fill out this survey, and then it shows you stuff you might like...if you decide to buy something, it's $29.99s, and shipping and returns are free if you change your mind.

if you hate everything, you just opt out in the first 5 days of the month, and wait for next month's designs to hit the site.

i gotta say...some of the stuff is ehhh, not really my style...but some of it? some of it i am OBSESSED with.
these marakesh earrings are my FAVES. they're what drew me to the site in the first place...i love the double stones, i love the sparkle...i think they'll look awesome with skinnies and a black tank this summer.
i never used to be a bracelet girl, but a friend rocks the arm candy like no other, and it's totally inspiring...i've been getting into bracelets more, and especially mixing them up, and stacking them up. plus...it's a nice change from my standard earrings or necklace mix.

and i live for this vintagey one...if it looks like my grandma might have thrown it in a drawer 40 years ago, i need it. NOW.

now, you know i wouldn't just be hocking this stuff is there wasn't something in it for you.

TODAY ONLY, use the code FIRST60 if you're a new jewelmint member, and you'll get your first piece of jewelry 60% off. so instead of $30, which is a pretty good deal for the quality of the pieces...you get it for $12.

so you can't NOT try it!

just go HERE and start by filling out the quiz to find your jewelry personality, and then you can add items to your showroom from the collection that you love!

and you've gotta show off what you buy ;)

93 is the new black

happy tuesday ladies!! i spent my president's day 1). not working, for the first time in YEARS, and it was amazzzzinnnnng...and 2). being forced into manual labor via the hubs. but i did get to use a chainsaw, so that made it better.

also realized, today is my 2 year and one month blogiversary!! apparently...i forgot about it last month. oopsies.

i also got a life lesson this weekend from an amazing woman.
see that sweet-looking, white haired lady in the middle?

that's my grandma. she's 93.

and don't let that sweet look on her face fool you...she is a SPITFIRE. and i love it.

she can't see much anymore, but she still lives on her own and gets around really well...and one of the places she goes is her weekly hair appointment.

every friday, she gets her permanent done, and those white curls stay the whole week.

except recently...they didn't.

so what does my grandma do when her permanent doesn't hold the way she thinks it ought to?

does she just let bygones be bygones and figure next week will be better?

HECK. NO.

my grandma first went to A DIFFERENT STYLIST IN THE SAME SALON (ballsy enough right there) to get it fixed...and when her orginal lady called to find out why she didn't tell her it was wrong or come to her?

my grandma told her SHE COULD GO TO HELL. and hung up on her.

i strive to be as awesome as she is one day.

as much as i love sweaters and boots

this weekend around casa de this girl...the highs are in the 70's.

which means...
i want to be here.

wearing this.
and these.

so...a trip to target for the shoes is totally in order right? cuz i've got the other 2 pieces already =)

and yes...i'll be wearing pants too.

also, anyone got an extra $250 burning a hole in their pocket?

cuz i NEED this for summer. or for right now. for always.

and p.s. mother nature...as much as i'm loving this little spring preview...if it means that summer will come in april, and by june the temps will be hovering around 152, with 110% humidity...i'll take a few more weeks of winter, groundhog be damned. k? k.

an open love letter to the grammys

dear grammys,

thanks for making my sunday night entertaining. i spent a solid 90 minutes texting a friend back and forth about ridiculous things that happened. so that was awesome. also, you brought me the greatest thing i have ever witnessed on tv ever...so i appreciate that. and i'll get to that in a minute. i had a few problems with you, but, like any good valentine...for the most part, you brought the love. or at least made up for your shortcomings with bright colors. so, 'preciate ya.

love,
your lots of music loving girl, hales.

p.s. mind if i include a few other peeps in this love letter? cool, thanks.

dear msn,
thanks for all these pics. 'preciate you too.
love,
too lazy to source everything separately.

dear smith family,

adopt me please. cuz jada...you rule. and will, you know i will forever love the summer jam that is "gettin' jiggy with it". and willow...oh how i love your quirky self...i've been practicing whipping my hair, just in case we become sisters. cuz you NEED one with 2 brothers. trust, i've got this on lock.

love,
the future mrs. hayley smith, esquire.

dear ricky martin,
i mean this in the nicest, least offensive way possible.
those pants COULD NOT be any gayer.

love,
just sayin'.

dear john mayer,
NEWSFLASH!!!
you're not johnny depp. let the dream die.
love,
please don't try and molest me.

dear justin bieber,
YOU. GOT. ROBBED. and ignore my husband, you are TOTALLY not a douche. he doesn't know what he's talking about. we can hang out when will and jada adopt me.

love,
an almost 28-year-old girl with a grade-a case of bieber fever.

dear gaga,
i don't even know. are there words for putting yourself in an egg with an oxygen tank and being carried down the red carpet?? i did hear ryan seacrest has to talk to the egg...so that's pretty awesome. and you gave love to whitney houston, so that was cool too. i figure you probably meant pre-coke binge whitney...she's my favorite one too.

love,
a girl who wishes she was even a little bit this ballsy.

and finally, dear cee-lo,
you sir. you stole my heart. not only have you brought me much joy in my car, driving around jamming out to "the song otherwise known as forget you" (which, by the way, is the most awesome grammy distinction EVER...your song is like the prince of the grammys).

so not only is your song awesome...you let gwyneth sing it on glee. and THAT was awesome.

but you know what's even MORE awesome than all of those things combined, PLUS some chocolate and roses thrown in?

THIS.


this is arguably the greatest thing i have ever seen on the grammys, or any award show, EVER. cuz...you're kinda dressed like if elton john and elmo had a giant black baby. and I. LOVE. IT. i love every single feather and rhinestone on your potty-mouthed self.

i love the puppets.

i LOVE gwyneth. i love her catsuit, and her hot pink feather earrings, and the way that in my head, you 2 are bffs and just call each other to say hey, and your version of the song is the ringtone when you call her...and her version is the ringtone when she calls you.

so please, keep doing what you do. i'll be here...watching this video on repeat. ALL. DAY.

love,
me.

p.p.s

dear l'il wayne,
thanks for showing prison didn't change you. blue cardigan, shades, bling-tastic watch AND a cigar on the red carpet? this is why we're tight weezy...this is why we're tight.
love,
your redheaded boo.

this is NOT one of those mushy valentine posts

let me preface this by saying that i love my husband very much. adore him in fact. wonder what i ever did without him.

and on valentine's day, i intend to shower him with affection.

but this friday before cupid's favorite holiday?? i have some things i need to get off my chest.
oh that handsome face, looking all distinguished smoking his cuban cigar in greece. you'd never know the torture he inflicts on his charming, adorable wife every day.

like the soda cans. sweet lord, the soda cans. it's not even the number of them...because in theory, we drink about the same amount, one for lunch/when he gets home from work, and one with dinner. except mine are drained to the bottom...and i swear to you, every other can i pick up to put in the recycling bin has some liquid in it. and every 3rd one? AT LEAST HALF FULL. sometimes 3/4 full. sometimes, i think he just looks hard at an open soda can...and then abandons it.

IT'S LIKE THE GIRL FROM SIGNS, EXCEPT SODA IS NOT FREE LIKE FAUCET WATER!!!

also, speaking of the cans...we have a small recycling bin in the house. and a big one next to the driveway where the cars are parked. so when he gets home from work, and needs to get rid of his empty energy drink can, or bottle of soda or anything...it would take like 7 steps to get around the front of the car and toss it in the bin. except he just chucks the thing over the roof of the car like he's on the freaking dukes of hazzard!!! and then...then his lovely irate wife picks them up out of the grass when she's tired of looking like a bar alley yard.

also, news flash hubs...when your boxers become TRANSLUCENT...it's time for new ones. we've been together more than 4 years...and i KNOW i've seen some of them that entire time. let the dream die dude.

when we're on the couch, and i've got a thing with a spine and cover and pages called a book...i'm not just using it as a tool to test my eyesight. i'm reading it. so when you talk to me...don't get mad if i don't pay attention. because i'm already engaged. WITH THE BOOK. I'M READING.

alright...i think i'm better. for now.

anyone else have significant other vents to get off their chest?? let's get this party started...and NOT invite the boys =)

who's scared of something that lives by a tree?!

have you ever had something that you considered totally normal and innocuous...and then, BAM, it's all over the place and you just love love love it? like, can't get enough of it? want to make everyone you know love it too, so someone else shares the love?

yep...i've got one.

i guess technically i've gotten another one...since i'm pretty sure my crazy love for owls counts.

but this time? this time hollywood's got my back.



no lie, since i saw the poster in the theater right after christmas...i have been peeing my pants about gnomeo and juliet.

and i don't even REALLY know why!! maybe because the hubs has an irrational hatred for adorable gnomes, and therefore i feel like i need to counteract his ridiculous ideas. i mean, they're garden gnomes! they're so cute and adorable...and hello, don't you remember david the gnome? he rode a fox, and that. was. awesome.

the hubs MIGHT have gotten a UGA gnome ornament for christmas....from "santa". so now he'll be on the tree forrrreeeevvvverrrrrr.

i have been launching my campaign to get him to take me to the movie for like 6 weeks...it mostly consists of me squealing when the preview comes on the tv, and hitting his leg repeatedly like a child so he watched.

real mature, i know.

so last night...i pulled out the big guns.

i made us gnomes.
oh hi there, i'm hayley, and my red dress and hat are totally rockstar.
oh boo, i'm nate, i've got a lot of self-hatred for such a cute little guy....plus, my beard is white and my hair is not. BONUS.

just for comparison's sake, here is a pic of us the weekend of thanksgiving...i did pretty good with our gnome selves, right??

anyone else interested in a kid's movie about gnomes? and shakespeare??

and more importantly...any last-minute tips to talk the husband into this flick?

was YOUR dog on the super bowl??

i'm trying to get over my grief this morning that football is really and truly over...and won't start back until september =(

i didn't really have a stake in last night's super bowl...but i was glad the packers one...cuz big ben is dirty. and a rapist. or a molester. and dirty.

i gotta say...i thought this year's commercials were pretty good...the little darth vader, the audi commercial with kenny g, the chrysler commercial with eminem (except he totally counteracted his "i'm sorta selling out, but still keeping my street cred" with that ridic claymation brisk iced tea commercial).

BUT i was also sorta disappointed, because they totally peaked early for me. like this commercial that aired in the first quarter...and i squealed like a little girl watching.



cuz...doesn't that little smooshed face look a little familiar?
it's like they got a time machine and took teeny little, just came to live with us as a puppy bojangles, and put him on the tv.

and if i had to wager a guess...i'd say he'd totally tackle someone for doritos. cuz he's like his mama that way =)

how i bought my own valentine's day present

a few weeks ago, i spotted this house of harlow necklace on the internets...and i HAD to have it.
it looks small here, but it's like 2 inches across, and the chain is 26 inches long.

so, this is the ONE thing i've told the hubs i want for valentine's day...you know, we're trying to be good and spend about $100 or less each...and this was only $80 so i thought it was perfect!

until today.

when gilt group decided to have HoH on their site...and it wasn't any cheaper than anywhere else...EXCEPT i had credits at gilt. and apparently this necklace was one of "nicole's picks", so i also get a leather cuff bracelet with my order.

sidenote: can we talk about how much i LOVE nicole ritchie?! who knew when she was just paris hilton's weird friend on that one reality show that she'd end up so classy and wonderful and stylish, with her adorable babies and super awesome rocker hubs. plus, she had an elephant at her wedding. and that's pretty awesome too.

and so i ended up spending a total....of $30. and no shipping.

so i bought my own valentine's present.

except now i have to find something else for the hubs to get me...cuz he's not getting off that easy.

down the internet rabbit hole

you ever have those items that you randomly buy on a whim? and then when you get them home and you think about them....you want about a bazillion more?

i do this A LOT.

hence why my closet has about 25 tshirts in different colors, and the same sweater from target in about 18 different colors.

well, it happened again this weekend...when i bought this.

doesn't it look so retro and vintagey and gloriously chunky??? yeahhhh....it's from forever 21.

and as soon as it was in my greedy little hands (cuz the closest F21 is like....100 miles away. it's a tragic existence really), i started thinking about the ways to wear it. with a black tee and boots. with a white tank and jeans and my sperry's come summer.
i also got this deliciously sparkly old-school number....which would also go with a black shirt and boots, or a white tank and jeans. cuz i'm awesome like that.

and when i got home...i started looking up "chunky vintage bracelets" on ebay and etsy, cuz clearly i have a problem. i want lots of jewelry. all the time.

like how cute is this chunky gold chain?? i love it! and it makes me want lots of them, all piled on my arms.

i also intend to scour the thrift stores around here...but mostly, they're full of random stuff. not gorgeous vintage treasures. more like....outdated nascar flags. i envy those of you with beautimous thrift stores nearby.

anyone else loving chunky arm bling?